Page 102 of Love Me Harder
“Dan Wade.”
“Ethan Romero.”
“And to what do I owe the pleasure?” I haven’t heard from the U.S. Attorney since he called to notify me that Felix was found dead in the Atlantic.
“Logan Ortiz was up for early parole,” he says, something I already knew. “He was found dead in his bunk last night.”
“I wish I could say I’m sorry to hear that.”
“About as sorry as I am to say it.”
We hang up and I text my father:thank you
I don’t need to specify what I’m thanking him for, he already knows.
After pocketing my phone, I head back into the living room to join the women who are sipping their milk and munching on donuts.
“So, what’s with the chocolate milk?” I learned early on in our relationship, Blaire and Nevaeh use chocolate milk to deal with life. Whether it’s to celebrate or to drown their sorrows, chocolate milk is their go-to. If they’re drinking it, there’s a reason why.
“Blaire’s pregnant,” Nevaeh gushes.
“Congratulations.” I reach over and give Blaire a hug. She and Victor decided to wait a while before having kids, so this baby will be their first.
“Our babies will only be seven months apart,” Nevaeh says. “I can’t wait for all the play dates.”
“Does this mean you’re going to stick around for a while?” Blaire asks, her voice filled with hope.
The last few years we’ve spent more time traveling than being home. My dad opened a hotel and casino in Tennessee, and Nevaeh helped me open another club in L.A. It was good to get away, but now that the girls are about to start school and we’re about to add two more babies to the mix, I imagine we’ll be here for a while.
I glance at Nevaeh, waiting for her to answer her friend, whenher eyes meet mine. She drops her donut onto the ground and clutches her belly. “Um, Ethan,” she says, her voice trembling.
“What’s the matter?”
“I think it’s time.”
She glances down and I follow, noticing a large wet spot between her legs. “Are you ready, Angel?” I ask, suddenly freaking the hell out. I thought I was nervous the day we adopted our daughters, but now… holy shit, she’s about to give birth… to two more fucking babies. I’m about to be a dad to four girls.
“I think it’s a little too late to ask me that,” she says through a laugh that somewhat calms me. “You should’ve asked me that before you knocked me up.”
“Hey, now,” I say, glancing around, unsure of what I’m supposed to be doing. “As much as I’d like to take the credit, the baster did that, not me.” After three years of trying and failing to get pregnant, the doctors felt IVF was our best option. The first try and she was pregnant with twins. And just like that, our family of four is about to become a family of six.
“It’s baby time,” Blaire yells to the girls.
“Baby time?” the girls yell back. “Yay!”
When Nevaeh tries to stand, I grab her hands to help her. “Slowly,” I say through a shaky breath. “We need to…” Fuck, I can’t think. We need to call someone… go somewhere. My brain isn’t cooperating.
“Wait!” She grabs a piece of paper from the table. “I can’t forget my list.”
I laugh, nodding in agreement. Over the years Nevaeh has created and deleted more lists than I can count. But this list is oneI approve of, since it tells us what we need to do, and right now, I can’t think straight.
I glance at the piece of paper at the first item on the list.
“Breathe, Ethan,” Nevaeh says with a smile. “We got this… together. Always.”
